Officials eye replacement for deadly Playland ride

Officials are proposing to buy two new rides to replace attractions that were removed from the county-owned Playland amusement park after a worker died this year.

Westchester County Parks Department spokesman Peter Tartaglia says the proposed newcomers -- the Yo-Yo Family Swing Ride and the Himalaya Music Express Ride -- have "an overall good safety record." The department is asking county legislators to agree to spend $1.7 million to buy them.

The Himalaya rotates on a sloping track. The Yo-Yo features a dangling chair that spins in a circle.

They would serve as replacements for the privately owned Power Surge and Mind Scrambler rides. Those attractions were taken out after 21-year-old Gabriela Garin was hurled to her death while taking a spin on the Mind Scrambler in June.